Fabian Klenner; Frank Postberg; Jon K. Hillier; Nozair Khawaja; René Reviol; Ferdinand Stolz; Morgan L. Cable; Bernd Abel; Lenz Nölle · 2019 · Astrobiology
Paper
Reliable identification of biosignatures, such as amino acids, fatty acids, and peptides, on extraterrestrial ocean worlds is a key prerequisite for space missions that search for life or its emergence on these worlds. One promising approach is the use of high-performance in situ impact ionization mass spectrometers to sample water ice grains emerging from ocean-bearing moons such as Europa or Enceladus. A predecessor of such detectors, the Cosmic Dust Analyzer on board the Cassini spacecraft, has proven to be very successful in analyzing inorganic and organic ocean constituents and with that characterizing the habitability of Enceladus ocean. However, biosignatures have not been definitively identified in extraterrestrial ocean environments so far. Here, we investigate with an analog experiment the spectral appearance of amino acids, fatty acids, and peptides in water ice grains, together with their detection limits, as applicable to spaceborne mass spectrometers. We employ a laboratory-based laser induced liquid beam ion desorption technique, proven to simulate accurately the impact ionization mass spectra of water ice grains over a wide range of impact speeds. The investigated organics produce characteristic mass spectra, with molecular peaks as well as clearly identifiable, distinctive fragments. We find the detection limits of these key biosignatures to be at the μM or nM level, depending on the molecular species and instrument polarity, and infer that impact ionization mass spectrometers are most sensitive to the molecular peaks of these biosignatures at encounter velocities of 4–6 km/s.
Analysis
This study investigates the detection limits and spectral characteristics of key biosignatures (amino acids, fatty acids, peptides) in ice grains using a laboratory-based laser-induced liquid beam ion desorption technique, simulating spaceborne mass spectrometers for ocean worlds.
Discovery
Bastien Bodin; Daniel Cordier; Ashley Gerard Davies
Kurt D. Retherford; Philippa M. Molyneux; Thomas K. Greathouse; Michael W. Davis; G. Randall Gladstone; Steven C. Persyn; Maarten H. Versteeg; Mary F. Araujo; Fran Bagenal; Tracy M. Becker; Arnaud Beth; Ronald K. Black; Bertrand Bonfond; Shawn M. Brooks; Emma J. Bunce; Alain Carapelle; Steven Cortinas; Gregory J. Dirks; Bryan Esquivel; Paul D. Feldman; Sue Ferrell; Mark Ferris; Leigh N. Fletcher; Matthew A. Freeman; Marina Galand; Rohini S. Giles; Denis Grodent; Vincent Hue; Erica Johnson; Joshua A. Kammer; Cynthia Kempe; Laurent Lamy; Adrian Martin; Melissa A. McGrath; Edward G. Nerney; Carlos Nuñez; Zachary Olsen; Norman Pelletier; Brandon Perez; Kristian B. Persson; Eric Quémerais; Rick Raffanti; Ujjwal Raut; Ryan Rickerson; Lorenz Roth; Oswald H. W. Siegmund; John R. Spencer; Andrew J. Steffl; Bradley J. Trantham; John V. Vallerga; Todd J. Veach; Michael A. Velez; Brandon C. Walther; the JUICE-UVS Team
Nancy Y. Kiang; Christopher Gisriel; Robert E. Blankenship; Mary N. Parenteau; Hazel A. Barton; Oded Béjà; Anthony J. Burnetti; Ligia F. Coelho; Saleheh Ebadirad; Nathan M. Ennist; Yuka Fujii; Colin Gates; R. J. Graham; Keiichi Inoue; Betül Kaçar; Yu Komatsu; Émilie A. Laflèche; Nicoletta La Rocca; Elisabetta Liistro; Jonathan Lindsey; Timothy Lyons; Carolina A. Martinez-Gutierrez; Taro Matsuo; Victoria Meadows; Gary F. Moore; Massimo Olivucci; Kevin E. Redding; Edward W. Schwieterman; Tejinder Singh; Kenji Takizawa; Anna Grace Ulses; Junko Yano; Felisa Wolfe-Simon; Michael L. Wong; Anastasia G. Yanchilina
Aaron McKinnon; Neveda Naz
Peter M. Higgins; Weibin Chen; Oliver Warr; Lucas M. Fifer; Wanying Kang; Charles S. Cockell; Barbara Sherwood Lollar
Caroline Haslebacher; Emeline Bolmont; Marco Cilibrasi; Jonathan Grone; Nico Haslebacher; Ravit Helled; Mathilde Kervazo; Niels F. W. Ligterink; Christophe Lovis; Lucio Mayer; Lorenzo Obersnel; Rafael Ottersberg; Apurva V. Oza; C. H. Lucas Patty; Antoine Pommerol; Ganna Portyankina; Alyssa R. Rhoden; Leander Schlarmann; Yuhito Shibaike; Vishaal Singh; Audrey H. Vorburger; Peter Wurz
Source record